The Design Files’ Managing Editor on her Australian homewares brands to watch
IMAGES VIA @SOFTEDGE_STUDIO/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY SALLY TABART
Take it from someone who really knows their interiors.
Sally Tabart is the Managing Editor of The Design Files, Australia’s most popular design blog. Obviously, she has incredible taste and an exceptional eye (in a role like hers it’s practically a requirement), so who better to ask for interior design brand recommendations? Below, she reveals her current favourites.
There are so many unbelievably talented makers and creatives in the Australian design industry. Like fashion, the reality is that if you’re looking for pieces that are handmade ethically with quality materials and have as little impact on the earth as possible, they are going to be more expensive than those from major retailers, or independent stores that buy from overseas and resell under their own brand.
Looking for more recommendations? Try our Life section.
My advice? Start slow. Follow your favourite artists, makers and designers on Instagram and often you’ll see the high level of skill and many hours it takes to create one piece – understand the process and invest where you can, even if it’s just saving up for one piece a year.
These are some of my favourite makers in Australia right now, who I admire for their ethics, their originality and of course – their cute stuff!
Curio Practice
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Georgie Brunmayr brought Curio Practice into the world during Melbourne’s first (or second? I’ve lost count) lockdown. She works with talented makers at a knitting factory in Reservoir to produce her blankets, using high-grade Australian Merino wool ethically sourced from farms across Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. She is a textiles EXPERT and her blankets are incredible – I’ve got one on my bed right now! I love how passionate Georgie is about supporting the local textiles industry. A brand with great values worth investing in I reckon.
Ella Reweti
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I’ve known Ella for years from working in bars and cafes around Melbourne, and bought one of the very first vases she ever made! I’m a big flower fan and have about a million vases but there’s something about the stacked corrugated shape of Ella’s pieces that make them THE number one vase. She works out of a studio in Thornbury when she can escape her cute baby!
Real Non Real
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When I first came across these wiggle hallway stands last year I spent a long time measuring every unused part of my house to find a spot for this! Unfortunately I couldn’t make it work, but I am obsessed with these squiggly pieces by interior design student Brigitte Owers-Buccianti, which are all made-to-order in Brunswick, Melbourne. Use it for keys, use it for towels, use it for your floordrobe – it’s a vibe.
Emro Designs
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Bundjalung woman Emma Rolls founded Emro Designs in 2019 – a 100 per cent Aboriginal owned and operated business that produces beautiful homewares. Emma works with Indigenous artists to transform their works into pieces like cushions, rugs and picnic mats. My favourite is the Mulgumpin Moreton Island cushion covers which have been created with artwork by Shara Delaney, a descendant of the Ngari Nunagal, Goenbal, Ngugi clan groups of Quandamooka Country (located on the east coast of Brisbane). I can’t wait to see Emro evolve – keep your eye on this brand!
Shades Launay
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My most stylish friend told me about Lana from Shades Launay a few weeks ago – I’M OBSESSED. Lana makes custom lights/lampshades using biodegradable materials like bamboo and coffee-stained raffia herself, and commissions local metalworker Maré Marine to make her stainless steel frames. Her Instagram is the best – I think she’s doing something really unique and special. Invest in a piece before she blows up big time!
Soft Edge Studio
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Layla from Soft Edge Studio is so unbelievably talented. Her ceramic vessels and tableware are unlike anything I’ve seen before – think soft, pot bellied jugs, wonky hand painted checkered serving pieces and slick, chubby plates and bowls. Her pieces are both functional and sculptural. The Ewer jug is my pick for a special group present for your bestie!
Snug Ceramics
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I recently came across the work of 15 year old (!!) Sydney-based ceramicist Isabella Doherty who makes mugs, macchiato and espresso cups. I can’t believe how talented she is! Her styling is on point and I literally want one of everything. Her designs feature stripes, flowers, checks… all the good stuff. This girl is going places!
Chub
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My dear friend Pip Newell from Curated Spaces has been selling these little Chub stool/side tables made by Byron-based brothers Jack and Mark Fearon for a few years now. Can confirm, they are everything. They come in custom colours and are the perfect ‘thing’ to pop in any empty corner – they’re also waterproof so can be used outdoors or in the bathroom! Into them big time.
@jackedwardfearon available from @curatedspaces
To keep up with Sally, head here.
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